Autograph Balls Opinions Wanted

BeRoyalKC

I would like your opinion and discussion on preferences where a ball should be signed. I being a Royals fan have gone to the Fanfest the last several years to obtain autos. I always just used official AL ball and ask for it on the sweet spot. This year I have purchased a dozen WS balls to have signed. I have seen many AS game, WS balls for sale throughout the years that have the signature below the WS or AS logos instead of the sweet spot. So what is your preference? Keep it in the sweet spot or sign below the special logo and display it that way. No right or wrong answers, just curious what you all think.

Thanks.

bounce

on world series and all star baseballs, best place is on the panel under the logo for single signed. if you get those signed on the sweet spot, it looks no different than a regular ball.



as someone who collects autographed baseballs, i would tell you that if i was getting world series baseballs signed again i would NOT put every player on their own ball - you eventually run out of room to display that many baseballs. i have 6-8 2005 World Series baseballs signed individually by various Astros, but I really wish I had just ONE with Biggio/Bagwell/Berkman on the WS panel, and a separate ball with Clemens/Pettitte/Oswalt. 10+ years on, I'm not really that interested in displaying my Phil Garner single signed WS baseball, you know?



This would be my order of preference:

1) whole team on one ball, make sure the MVP is directly under the WS logo and try to put the other 3-4 MAJOR stars on that panel as well

2) if you can't get the whole team, i would try to do the 2nd part of the above (MVP under the logo, and 3-4 biggest "stars/all stars" and forget the rest (and I'm not counting the actual All Star voting where every Royal was the starter at every position)

3) using the above as a guide, get only starters (fielders and DH) plus the starting pitchers and the closer all on one ball

4) do "theme" multi-signed baseballs like I described above for the Astros, i.e. all the starting pitchers on one ball, the infield on another ball (or infield on one panel, outfield on an adjacent one), or best 4-5 players MAX on one and everyone else on another - that sort of thing



TRUST ME - 26 individual signed WS baseballs isn't attractive and it's a MONSTER to try and display. And if you ever were to want or need to sell them, no one is going to pay anything for the middle reliever signed WS ball. That signature honestly devalues the baseball.



Good luck with it! Post pics when you've got 'em!

Sheamaster

Great question. I have gotten several auto balls on World Series or all star game balls and still have them signed in the sweet spot. Ripken even questioned me which was kind of funny

BeRoyalKC

Originally posted by: bounce
on world series and all star baseballs, best place is on the panel under the logo for single signed. if you get those signed on the sweet spot, it looks no different than a regular ball.

as someone who collects autographed baseballs, i would tell you that if i was getting world series baseballs signed again i would NOT put every player on their own ball - you eventually run out of room to display that many baseballs. i have 6-8 2005 World Series baseballs signed individually by various Astros, but I really wish I had just ONE with Biggio/Bagwell/Berkman on the WS panel, and a separate ball with Clemens/Pettitte/Oswalt. 10+ years on, I'm not really that interested in displaying my Phil Garner single signed WS baseball, you know?

This would be my order of preference:
1) whole team on one ball, make sure the MVP is directly under the WS logo and try to put the other 3-4 MAJOR stars on that panel as well
2) if you can't get the whole team, i would try to do the 2nd part of the above (MVP under the logo, and 3-4 biggest "stars/all stars" and forget the rest (and I'm not counting the actual All Star voting where every Royal was the starter at every position)
3) using the above as a guide, get only starters (fielders and DH) plus the starting pitchers and the closer all on one ball
4) do "theme" multi-signed baseballs like I described above for the Astros, i.e. all the starting pitchers on one ball, the infield on another ball (or infield on one panel, outfield on an adjacent one), or best 4-5 players MAX on one and everyone else on another - that sort of thing

TRUST ME - 26 individual signed WS baseballs isn't attractive and it's a MONSTER to try and display. And if you ever were to want or need to sell them, no one is going to pay anything for the middle reliever signed WS ball. That signature honestly devalues the baseball.

Good luck with it! Post pics when you've got 'em!

Great points. I hadn't thought about spending $20 on a ball and then having Christian Colon sign it. Probably wouldn't display it and surely not worth the ball. I bought a WS Sports Illustrated to have the second tier guys sign and a half dozen balls. I did well last year getting Hosmer and Perez, but I did end up with Rios and Finnigan which I have little or no use for as well.

craig44

I have gotten some hof balls signed. If there is an inscription, to ha ave enough room, I think it should be on the sweet spot. Otherwise, I get them under the hof logo

totallyradd

I think it's better to get those balls signed under the WS logo. Personally, I've collected a ton of Brewers over the years that I know are middle tier guys, but guys I liked, and I'm okay with that. I finally have a basement that I can turn into my rec room and will be displaying all of them. There are some guys that I know I don't need, but I got them for cheaper than a ball, so figured might as well.



I enjoy em, and I can always put them away if it becomes to much to display. For something like that, you can always build a nice cabinet that displays them. I think a 5x5 cabinet with the 25 man roster would be great and wouldn't take up too much space. You could somehow design it so that the Yost ball is displayed in the middle.



It's your collection, do what you'd like with it.



(Side note: As a Brewers fan, I have a lot of those guys from when they were coming up, Escobar, Cain, Yost as manager, my friends and I referred to em as the Kansas City Brewers)